Amarillo, Texas Will Sadly Say Goodbye to a Popular Sports Team

There have been a few changes in the sports that we enjoy cheering on here in Amarillo. We went from having the Amarillo Sox to the Amarillo Sod Poodles, a minor league team. Even in their organization, we have had changes. We went from being an affiliate of the San Diego Padres to now the Arizona Diamondbacks.

They also change alter egos: the Calf Fries, Pointy Boots, and now the Yellow City Pigweeds. It's all fun.

Read More: Yellow City Pigweeds; New Quirky Persona Of Amarillo Sod Poodles |

Other changes in our local sports, which we have supported, may end up being less fun. One example is arena football. We have cheered on the Amarillo Venom for years at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Over the summer they announced that they were going back to their roots. Stirring up some nostalgia with a nod to the Amarillo Dusters. They were going to change their name and go back to the once-familiar name.

According to their website:

The Amarillo Venom, a beloved name in the arena football community, is proud to announce its rebranding to the Amarillo Dusters. This exciting transformation brings back the nostalgic spirit of the team's original name, reigniting the passion of fans and the community.

This brought some promise to the upcoming season which usually starts in the spring. They were also going to be in a new league so a lot was happening behind the scenes. Until it wasn't.

According to a release from the National Arena League, the fate of this season for the Dusters seems bleak.

The National Arena League reports that effective immediately the Amarillo franchise has had its membership terminated for failure to meet league obligations. A unanimous decision was made today by the board of ownership to terminate the Amarillo franchise so that the league can move forward to the regular season without Amarillo’s participation. The decision follows months of effort from both league officials and individual member teams supporting Amarillo to take the field for 2025.

So unless some sort of miracle happens there will be no more Amarillo Dusters in Amarillo, at least for the 2025 season.